Personal Care and Hygiene

Personal Care and Hygiene

G2O has recently demonstrated that the application of a water based graphene oxide (GO) coating used for treatment of water filtration membranes to the upper surface of nonwoven fabrics increases water transport through the medium and reduces spreading.

Commercially, nonwovens are the most important fibrous media used for managing fluids in wearable hygiene devices, particularly those intended for single use. A major challenge in the design of such hygiene nonwoven products is achieving rapid fluid inlet, reduced wet back and storage and retention of either urine or menses, in a thin profile, as well as the active suppression of malodour.

The remarkable liquid through-flow and physical molecular separation capabilities of graphene oxide, provides exciting potential to improve the performance of wearable hygiene products, by reducing inlet time and increasing liquid storage capacity, as well as the separation of molecules responsible for malodour. This combination of functions is fundamental to the performance of wearable hygiene products and commercial solutions do not yet fully meet all these criteria.

In 2015, there were 599 million people over 65 years globally and it is expected that in 2020, the number of senior people will be 712 million. The ageing of the population itself creates new needs but what is revolutionary is the fact that senior people are ever more active. This increases the demand for products that might not be considered everyday goods today. Absorbent incontinence products, such as panty liners, disposable underwear and adult diapers, are good examples. Their growing popularity will, in the course of time, shift the balance in the hygiene market from diapers and feminine hygiene products towards incontinence products.